Thinking Guide 1: Evaluating Accuracy and Reliability
1. Examine the claims and sources in one website/document:
Are some of the author’s claims relevant to my question or problem? (Rank on a scale of 0-3)
What are two key claims the author is making that are relevant to my question/problem?
Who is making these claims? (one person, several people, one group, or several groups)
What level of expertise does each author/group have to make these claims? (Rank on a scale of 0-3)
2. Cross-check the author’s claims with at least two other reliable sources:
What evidence do I find elsewhere to support these claims? What expertise does this author have to make these claims?
What evidence do I find elsewhere to refute these claims? What expertise does this author have to make these claims?
3. Decide if these additional sources suggest the original author’s claims are false or true.
Consider the range of claims being made and the expertise of each source.
Discuss with your classmates whether the set of claims represent equally valid, but opposing perspectives OR a collection of some claims that are valid and other claims that are completely bogus.
Come to consensus about the quality of the claims being made and which information, if any, can be used to answer your original question.
Thinking Guide 1: Evaluating Accuracy and Reliability